Published: Thursday, October 10, 2013 at 11:57 p.m.

Last Modified: Thursday, October 10, 2013 at 11:57 p.m.

They went a while before getting a lead. When they got it, they figured out how to handle it.

The Tampa Bay Lightning finally got control of a game, and it came at the right time.

The Bolts got big games from their top players, including a hat trick from Steven Stamkos, and rode it to a 7-2 win in their home opener Thursday night over the Florida Panthers.

The stars shined for Tampa Bay (3-1), which opened a seven-game homestand in style. Stamkos added an assist to his first three goals of the season, Valterri Filppula had two third-period goals, and captain Martin St. Louis added a goal and an assist in the opening frame.

Goalie Ben Bishop made 19 saves and got his first career point in the Bolts' third straight win.

The beleaguered Panthers (1-3) had to change goalies for the third straight contest. They allowed seven goals for the second time this season.

With Tampa Bay holding a 2-1 lead in the second period, Matt Carle grabbed a loose puck and passed to the right circle, where Stamkos fired a wrist shot past Panthers goalie Jacob Markstrom at 11:39.

"Any time you play a home opener, you're amped up to play," Stamkos said after his sixth career three-goal contest. "We gave the fans something to lok forward to."

Later, a Bishop clearing pass eluded two Florida skaters and found Alex Killorn. Killorn went to the left corner and found a cutting Ondrej Palat, who beat Markstrom with 4:09 left in the period to make it 4-1.

The Lightning also won some faceoffs for a change after failing miserably against Boston and Chicago, last season's Stanley Cup finalists, and Buffalo. But those games were on the road.

The Bolts won 37 of 59 faceoffs, including a 17-8 edge in the middle session when they took control. That included Nate Thompson's 5-for-5 and Stamkos' 6-for-7.

The Panthers got one back 3:48 into the third. Jonathan Huberdeau, last year's third overall pick, split two Lightning defenders and slipped the puck past Bishop.

"There's still a couple of breakdowns that we need to get better at," Bishop said. "There's always for for improvement, but compared to last year, it's a hundred times better."

It got a lot better as the Bolts scored on their next three shots. They restored the three-goal lead on the power play as Filppula had a shot glance off a Florida skater past Markstrom at 6:38.

"It was good to know that they knew what to do with it," Lightning coach Jon Cooper said. "It was brought up on the bench with the first goal. We responded the way we needed to."

Filppula, signed from Detroit in the offseason, made good on his next shot. It was a backhander that beat Markstrom over the left shoulder at 9:14. At that point, Scott Clemmensen replaced Markstrom.

Stamkos completed his first hat trick in nearly two years with his familiar one-timer from the left circle from 7:35 to play. Except it came from atop the circle, and Clemmensen had no chance with the Lightning owning the man advantage.

"He's been playing 200 feet since the start of the year," Cooper said of Stamkos. "He's had chances and (Thursday) it finally paid off. He has the mindset of playing both ends of the ice. He was dictating where he wanted to be and when he wanted to pass. It was fun to watch."

It was the first time Stamkos scored at even strength, shorthanded (his second such career goal) and power play.

The Bolts grabbed their first lead of the season one second after a power play expired. Stamkos' cross-crease pass found St. Louis' stick and St. Louis slipped it past Markstrom's left skate at 8:13 of the first.

"This was a good night to get a lead and play with it," Stamkos said. We never took our foot off the gas and we brought it up between periods."

The pair reversed roles at the end of a penalty kill. Victor Hedman took an errant Panthers pass and passed to St. Louis, who found Stamkos cutting down the slot to redirect the feed past Markstrom's glove at 13:54.

Yes, it was a short-handed tally, the first for the Lightning in 58 games -- the Bolts had none last season. One second was left on Richard Panik's high-sticking minor.

"You have to (score them). We haven't had it for a couple of years," Stamkos said.

The Panthers got their first power-play goal of the season after a failed clear. Just 59 seconds into the second period, Brad Boyes got a shot from close range past Bishop after Radko Gudas partially fanned on a clearing pass at the left post.

But Florida took two straight penalties and lost momentum. Markstrom was sharp in keeping his team's deficit at one goal.

It didn't last.

The Panthers play their home opener tonight against Pittsburgh. The Penguins come to the Forum on Saturday.

NOTEBOOK

The last short-handed goal for the Lightning was by Ryan Malone in a 5-3 win at Philadelphia on March 26, 2012. Thompson had the last shortie at the Forum Jan. 23, 2011 in a 7-1 rout of Atlanta.

Stamkos' last three-goal game came Dec. 31, 2011 against Carolina. His four-point game was the sixth of his career and equaled a career best. He has 20 goals in 29 career games against Florida.

This was the first time the Bolts scored seven in their home opener since their inaugural game Oct. 7, 1992 against Chicago. Tampa Bay has played 1,580 games in franchise history.

Filppula won 12 of 19 draws while Thompson won 12 of 13.

Teddy Purcell tied a career besr with threee assists.

St. Louis passed Bobby Orr for 94th on the all-time NHL scoring list with 917 career points.

Clemmensen was recalled after Tim Thomas left Tuesday's game at Philadelphia with a lower-body injury, perhaps a groin strain.

<p>TAMPA</p><p>They went a while before getting a lead. When they got it, they figured out how to handle it.</p><p>The Tampa Bay Lightning finally got control of a game, and it came at the right time.</p><p>The Bolts got big games from their top players, including a hat trick from Steven Stamkos, and rode it to a 7-2 win in their home opener Thursday night over the Florida Panthers.</p><p>The stars shined for Tampa Bay (3-1), which opened a seven-game homestand in style. Stamkos added an assist to his first three goals of the season, Valterri Filppula had two third-period goals, and captain Martin St. Louis added a goal and an assist in the opening frame.</p><p>Goalie Ben Bishop made 19 saves and got his first career point in the Bolts' third straight win.</p><p>The beleaguered Panthers (1-3) had to change goalies for the third straight contest. They allowed seven goals for the second time this season.</p><p>With Tampa Bay holding a 2-1 lead in the second period, Matt Carle grabbed a loose puck and passed to the right circle, where Stamkos fired a wrist shot past Panthers goalie Jacob Markstrom at 11:39.</p><p>"Any time you play a home opener, you're amped up to play," Stamkos said after his sixth career three-goal contest. "We gave the fans something to lok forward to."</p><p>Later, a Bishop clearing pass eluded two Florida skaters and found Alex Killorn. Killorn went to the left corner and found a cutting Ondrej Palat, who beat Markstrom with 4:09 left in the period to make it 4-1.</p><p>The Lightning also won some faceoffs for a change after failing miserably against Boston and Chicago, last season's Stanley Cup finalists, and Buffalo. But those games were on the road.</p><p>The Bolts won 37 of 59 faceoffs, including a 17-8 edge in the middle session when they took control. That included Nate Thompson's 5-for-5 and Stamkos' 6-for-7.</p><p>The Panthers got one back 3:48 into the third. Jonathan Huberdeau, last year's third overall pick, split two Lightning defenders and slipped the puck past Bishop.</p><p>"There's still a couple of breakdowns that we need to get better at," Bishop said. "There's always for for improvement, but compared to last year, it's a hundred times better."</p><p>It got a lot better as the Bolts scored on their next three shots. They restored the three-goal lead on the power play as Filppula had a shot glance off a Florida skater past Markstrom at 6:38.</p><p>"It was good to know that they knew what to do with it," Lightning coach Jon Cooper said. "It was brought up on the bench with the first goal. We responded the way we needed to."</p><p>Filppula, signed from Detroit in the offseason, made good on his next shot. It was a backhander that beat Markstrom over the left shoulder at 9:14. At that point, Scott Clemmensen replaced Markstrom.</p><p>Stamkos completed his first hat trick in nearly two years with his familiar one-timer from the left circle from 7:35 to play. Except it came from atop the circle, and Clemmensen had no chance with the Lightning owning the man advantage.</p><p>"He's been playing 200 feet since the start of the year," Cooper said of Stamkos. "He's had chances and (Thursday) it finally paid off. He has the mindset of playing both ends of the ice. He was dictating where he wanted to be and when he wanted to pass. It was fun to watch."</p><p>It was the first time Stamkos scored at even strength, shorthanded (his second such career goal) and power play.</p><p>The Bolts grabbed their first lead of the season one second after a power play expired. Stamkos' cross-crease pass found St. Louis' stick and St. Louis slipped it past Markstrom's left skate at 8:13 of the first.</p><p>"This was a good night to get a lead and play with it," Stamkos said. We never took our foot off the gas and we brought it up between periods."</p><p>The pair reversed roles at the end of a penalty kill. Victor Hedman took an errant Panthers pass and passed to St. Louis, who found Stamkos cutting down the slot to redirect the feed past Markstrom's glove at 13:54.</p><p>Yes, it was a short-handed tally, the first for the Lightning in 58 games -- the Bolts had none last season. One second was left on Richard Panik's high-sticking minor.</p><p>"You have to (score them). We haven't had it for a couple of years," Stamkos said.</p><p>The Panthers got their first power-play goal of the season after a failed clear. Just 59 seconds into the second period, Brad Boyes got a shot from close range past Bishop after Radko Gudas partially fanned on a clearing pass at the left post.</p><p>But Florida took two straight penalties and lost momentum. Markstrom was sharp in keeping his team's deficit at one goal.</p><p>It didn't last.</p><p>The Panthers play their home opener tonight against Pittsburgh. The Penguins come to the Forum on Saturday.</p><h3>NOTEBOOK</h3>
<p>The last short-handed goal for the Lightning was by Ryan Malone in a 5-3 win at Philadelphia on March 26, 2012. Thompson had the last shortie at the Forum Jan. 23, 2011 in a 7-1 rout of Atlanta.</p><p>Stamkos' last three-goal game came Dec. 31, 2011 against Carolina. His four-point game was the sixth of his career and equaled a career best. He has 20 goals in 29 career games against Florida.</p><p>This was the first time the Bolts scored seven in their home opener since their inaugural game Oct. 7, 1992 against Chicago. Tampa Bay has played 1,580 games in franchise history.</p><p>Filppula won 12 of 19 draws while Thompson won 12 of 13.</p><p>Teddy Purcell tied a career besr with threee assists.</p><p>St. Louis passed Bobby Orr for 94th on the all-time NHL scoring list with 917 career points.</p><p>Clemmensen was recalled after Tim Thomas left Tuesday's game at Philadelphia with a lower-body injury, perhaps a groin strain.</p>